Shrimp & Ragout

Cilantro Shrimp & Garbanzo Ragout

I like to keep frozen shrimp on hand for healthy, easy to pull together weeknight dinners. The leftover ragout pairs beautifully with a fried egg & 1 tbsp grated aged cheddar cheese for a satisfying breakfast in the morning. 

ingredients:
2 dozen medium sized shrimp (fresh or frozen)
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 sweet white onion
1/2 orange or red bell pepper
canned diced tomatoes
canned garbanzo beans (optional)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
worcestirshire sauce
black pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 heaping cups of cilantro
1 garlic clove
1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
yield: 3 servings

1. bring 4 cups water to slow boil, salt generously

2. meanwhile thinly slice onion and pepper

3. warm olive oil in pan over low heat, add onion & pepper, salt the vegetables & saute until onion turns opaque about 5-7 minutes, then add canned tomatoes, simmer & stir occasionally

4. boil shrimp until cooked through & then pour shrimp in colander to drain water, add slash of cold water to stop them from cooking, if necessary, peel and de-vein shrimp

5. add garbanzo beans to the tomato sauce (the garbanzo beans are optional, i like the texture they lend to the dish, but if that is not your thing the dish is just as good without them)

6. taste sauce and adjust to liking - tomatoes usually need to be brought down a notch in terms of acidity --  I added 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 4 dashes of worcestirshire sauce & a couple grinds of black pepper. a few flakes of crushed red peppers for some heat would be great as well.

7. coarsely chop the cilantro & fold a generous handful into the tomato mixture

8. toss cooked shrimp in a medium sized bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 clove of minced garlic, juice from lemon & salt and black pepper to taste

9. serve shrimp over ragout & enjoy